So, I’ve posted the first 3 weeks.

I’ve demolished duck, croc, quail and counting….

We’ve delved into food, exercise, and lifestyle. You haven’t heard the half of it yet….

As soon as the first week ‘went live’ (sounds ridiculous really), I was nervous and anxious. Did I spell anything wrong? How much shit will my close mates give me? Sure enough, a private joke comes straight through as a comment. I rejected that one…

But before I knew it week one turned into week 2 and each week I would wander off up the road to do my weeks shopping and somehow gravitate straight to the butcher, where a chat has become a habit. Typically, I share news of my ‘blog’ and, of course, I buy some meat. Turns out having a little project or aim can be exciting and fun, something I’ve always known and try to promote as a trainer when I am encouraging my clients to prioritise a healthy lifestyle with purpose.

Over the years, as a Personal Trainer, I have seen a range of people come…… and go, from athletes to bankers to housewives. They’ve all come for different reasons, but I can almost guarantee that the majority of people that stick around and succeed have set goals. You may have come across the simple concept before (he writes sarcastically), and the reason you’re seeing it again now – is because it works. If you make your goals Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Realistic and Timed then you have something that you can actually work towards. And when you punch that goal, you won’t know yourself.

If you want to achieve anything, for example, getting leaner or gaining muscle mass in order to get fitter & stronger and subsequently increase your athletic performance or if you want to simply improve your overall health, then setting goals that you can and are motivated to achieve is key.

For example: By the end of the calendar year 2011 I had a goal to dead lift 200kg for one rep.

I didn’t quite manage this. I made 175kg for 3 and 190kg for 1 (see Mike’s Training Vids for those of you who don’t know what a dead lift is, or just simply interested, but then broke a couple of key bones (as opposed to the very unimportant ones, of course) in my left hand which stopped me in my tracks, and soon saw me dead lifting with one arm. Looks pretty funky, sure, but exactly like the majority of female comedians, it’s just not right is it… ?

However, before I busted up said bones, I was working towards something, making massive gains all the time and achieving personal best lifts. My training had purpose. And with that came purpose in my lifestyle.

I eat well and I time the quantity and kind of nutrients I imbibe around my training sessions. I train hard and I train specifically for what I am wanting to achieve. I get enough quality sleep (refreshing and recharging) which is no doubt complimented by my diet, training and supplementation. All of these things, as well as my general mood and approach to life; e.g. optimistic, positive, motivated and calm, allow for a balanced lifestyle and it is the balance that makes achieving my goals that much easier and realistic.

It’s all about creating an equilibrium in your life – one your body and mind will thank you for now and in the years to come.

Speaking of personal bests, I also had the aim, by Xmas in 2011, to be able to hold a human flag for 5 seconds (unsure what that is? See the attached picture. NOTE: updated picture September 2012). Funnily enough this involves something that looks pretty hard, in practice is very hard, and well – it just plain does not happen with only one arm. But, this is a new year, so, if all of my time isn’t taken up with meat, who knows… ?

Just as I was progressing with the lifting, so too do people who set realistic goals, maintain some degree of focus and really apply themselves to work towards them. With the right advice and guidance, some actual application and some respect for your body and overall health, most day to day goals don’t have to be so far off and unachievable. The amount of people I see day in, day out slogging away in the gym, sometimes for years, without making any progress is staggering. Why do this to yourself? Exactly what is your aim with your day in, day out slogging on the treadmill? Why settle for stagnating? Why settle for no result?

Make a goal, take it seriously and make a change.

If you don’t know what you’re doing, ask someone who knows more than you. Admittedly that theory hasn’t exactly paid dividends for me at the horse track. But then perhaps perceiving someone with a folded race form and grey hair as one who ‘knows what they’re doing’ is a leaky theory… Who knows?

Clearly, I have at least one goal for this year. It’s going to be interesting and it is already great fun. (And there are quite a few people who know about this one already, so there is some real accountability there).

I also have a couple that I am slowly working towards. I aim to be able to dead lift 200kg for one repetition before Xmas this year, and squat 180kg on my back. Check my training vids above for some recent videos of my progress, 175kg dead lift and 155kg squat. In the scheme of things I’m just getting back into some proper strength training, but with these goals and current numbers I’m excited about making constant progress and hitting those year end marks.

Goal setting. You’d have to be hiding under a rock for a good part of your life to not have heard it mentioned, especially when the likes of Anthony Robbins all make constant reference to it. However, the fact remains that chasing a goal, (an exercise goal or otherwise) will have an empowering effect on your life. And you’ll be admired for the discipline and achievement. Besides, it’s all relative, e.g. improving your non alcohol days to 5/week or running a half marathon in less than 1hour 30minutes, the effect will be profound if you can commit to it. Sacrifices are necessary but they needn’t be intrusive.

Perhaps what matters the most is having honest conversations with yourself about what you want for yourself and weighing it up with the prospect of your reality if you do not pursue your goal.

You need to stop bullsh**ting yourself, set your benchmark and then raise it twice as high – now that’s a goal.

It’s that simple.

Don’t cringe, if you’re concerned I’m trying to ‘evangelise’ you by spraying you with some indulgent pyscho motivational vomit, I can assure you that’s not my gig. I’ll leave that to Kanye West who did just that when I saw him on Friday at the Sydney Entertainment Centre. It was a pretty wicked gig up until the final 30 minutes, when he lost himself in a self-absorbed, crazy style rant along the lines of “Set your goals as high as you can, aim for the sky, shoot for the stars”, over and over, ad nauseum… I don’t want to sound like such a ‘douchebag’.

So, that’s goals for you – in a nutshell.

In the words of Mike Campbell, (not Kanye West) just set some realistic, achievable goals and commit to them. Then work at it and enjoy reaching them, because if you do, you deserve it.

For the curious, let’s get to the meat I savoured this last week.

I don’t know where you were living if you missed the significance of last week in my corner of the world. It was, of course, Straya Day (Australia Day to those of us who speak English), and what with the BBQ dude (Sam Kekovich. Check it out) pushing lamb so hard, as seems to be the case each year, I thought why not get in the spirit and do some Lamb. Has to be covered at some stage. Plus I might be able to inform any Australians out there how well Kiwis do lamb. Change that: COOK lamb.

So I decided on a recipe of my dad’s, Tony Campbell. Someone who has been indelibly involved in the lamb industry in New Zealand for every year that I’ve been alive (and on Straya Day that made 30 full years).

This recipe uses a piece of the lamb that isn’t very commonly bought or butchered so it’s often only available upon request. But asking is easy enough aye. We’re talking about the Chump. The Butcher had got me two pieces of boneless chump roast. I have run into a slight bit of confusion as to what the technical term is for this cut, but if you have a chat to the butcher you should be able to figure it out (the uncooked photo below should help too).

The recipe is pretty easy really but makes for a beautiful piece of eating.

First slice the meat through the middle, making a pocket horizontally.

Then stuff the meat with fresh basil leaves and gruyere cheese.

Roll the meat in a mixture of rock salt, cracked black pepper, paprika, ground chilli powder, and turmeric.

Heat the oven to 180°C, then put a pan on the stove. Brown the meat on each side for about 1 minute, then remove and put the meat into the hot oven for 10-15 minutes, depending on how you like it.

Remove the meat and let it rest for 5 minutes.

Trust me now- this is seriously tasty!

With this meat dish I added cubed and roasted Kumara (sweet potato) doused in herbs and spices. This was coupled with some sautéed green beans and asparagus.

This is just a simple, healthy accompaniment with this meat.

Hands down, this was quite an exquisite dish. Admittedly, the chilli oil used for the greens packed an Atom Ant sized punch, but it never threatened to overshadow the lamb.

If you have any questions about the cut of meat feel free to ask me.

I recommend getting your hands on some and trying this recipe. You can have it good to go in 30 minutes! Why wouldn’t you??

Next week I’m going to be in New Zealand, so I will be making the most of what The Land Of The Long White Cloud has to offer on the meat front as well as reluctantly attending a close friends wedding I suppose….

Tune in around this time next week…

Bring your goal.

Mike

30 year old

PS I know these last few have been quite, ah, wordy… So I’ll try to shorten the length on the next few. Try.